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Simulating the origin of biochemistry

Seen in Ars Technica: a biochemist who's tackling the question of how living chemicals—those that are capable of evolution—arose from the complex, but nonevolving, chemistry that preceded them. Some experiments showed RNA (which can copy itself, and seems to have preceded cells) getting incorporated into lipid sacs; others showed lipid sacs with some phospholipids (which make up cell walls) consuming plain lipid sacs. Put them together, and you've got the requirements for evolution.